Most of the time it’s quite nice to live in the country and be surrounded by nature. I wake up every morning, take my coffee out at the crack of dawn and listen to the sounds of the world around me coming to life. A wild turkey gobbles in the distance followed by the hoot of an owl. Frogs croak down by the pond and the trees are full of birds singing to the dawn as it breaks on the horizon.

It’s certainly a contrast to city or suburban living where you wake to the sound of things like the neighbors starting their cars. All making ready to set out and join several thousand other cars for that long congested early morning commute to work. Of course some of them have to sit and rev their engines and play racecar in the driveway before they peel out.

Or the sound of the garbage truck coming down the next street over and then suddenly remembering you forgot to take the trash out the night before. As did several other people and then there is that lovely sound of women scuffing their slippers along as they drag the heavy trash cans over the asphalt down to the end of the driveway before the garbage truck gets around the corner.

Once in the suburbs I was awakened just before dawn by the sound of an angry man cussing. I got up and looked out the window and saw my neighbor outside in his underwear, cussing and throwing rocks at a woodpecker that had taken a liking to the tin chimneystack on top of his house.

Yes, waking up in the country is indeed a more tranquil way to start the day. But country living can be very challenging. There is a tendency for more “things” to get in the house when you live in the country. Things like, mice, bugs, and even the occasional squirrel scratching around in the attic. One of the worst are the giant armor plated hornets that get in and zip around like F-14 fighters, dive-bombing your head as you duck and run for cover. Good luck trying to hit one of those with a fly swatter, or even a tennis racket, and if you do actually hit one you’ll just piss it off and then you’re really in trouble. The safest thing is to hide somewhere with a can of Raid and try and get him on a fly-by. Rule # 1 for country life: Never run out of Raid!

Outside you are at the mercy of nature. Snakes, skunks, ticks, black widows, not to mention poison ivy and brambles just to name a few things you can encounter. I found a black snake once in the chicken run so big it was eating a whole chicken. Now, I can deal with poison ivy and brambles. Rule # 2 for country life: Never run out of Roundup. But I have a real problem with things that crawl, slither or get on me.

As much as I love being out in the gardens, down by the pond or wandering through the woods I can’t seem to overcome this creature phobia I have. It always tends to be a split second event. Something gets on me and the terror that grips my body is like suddenly coming face to face with Freddie Krueger. The fight or flight reaction kicks in instantly. Unfortunately for me, the creature, what ever it may be is in my panic the superior adversary and I immediately go into a desperate flight mode, usually screaming as I go.

My rational mind knows that I’m much bigger than anything that may crawl up my arm, so why do I lose all control when it happens? I have tried to think positively and be prepared for such an event so I won’t panic, but the second something gets on me I lose it every time. There is an insect that lives here that I have not been able to identify that just sends me into a tailspin, and don’t get in my way if I’m trying to get away from that nasty thing. It looks like half spider, half grasshopper and it can jump with lightening speed. I think I’d rather face Freddie. (See Rule #1)

Yard work and gardening are a challenge as well. Things seem to grow so much faster here, as well as having so much more of it all. The mowing, and weed whacking are an endless task, and battling garden insects and weeds is nearly impossible. Actually, I do enjoy cutting the grass. There is just something about the smell of freshly cut grass that seems to conjurer such a warm homey feeling.

In all, I think the benefits of being surrounded by nature outweigh the challenges. Yes it’s a lot of hard work to keep it all under control, and even though I’ve not yet mastered my creature phobias, I do indeed prefer it to city or suburban living. It’s very gratifying to look around the acres of land and admire the results of your labor. Sitting on the patio in the evenings, watching the sunset over trees and listening to the sounds of nature settling in for the day is quite a fine reward for all your effort. No cars, no neighbors, no noise, and as long as you have the “Deep Woods Off” handy, no bug bites either.

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